a novelization of "The Saturn Game";
a novel and a collection in which the Polesotechnic League and the Terran Empire co-exist in different parts of the galaxy;
Tau Zero set during the Long Night.
This is my way of comparing the Technic History with James Blish's longest future history, the Cities In Flight Tetralogy. The point here is to contrast length with brevity, not to denigrate Blish. On the contrary, for a very long time, I rated Blish much more highly than Anderson and thought that the Technic History was just the van Rijn and Flandry series strung together with a few extras. I now think instead that it is the best of the Heinleinian future histories - although perhaps there are only three of these, Heinlein's and two by Anderson? In any case, the Technic History is superb, whether it belongs to a large or a small set of future histories.
Cities In Flight just makes it into future historical status but, having recently reread it yet again, I can confidently state that it is a great work of science fiction and that each of its four volumes has unique merits that differentiate it from the others.
5 comments:
Hi, Paul!
Something like that might have happened if Poul Anderson had died before he had more or less completed the Technic History. Given how much more was written by Anderson compared to Blish, the former would have to be dead by the time he wrote, say, A CIRCUS OF HELLS.
Fortunately that did not happen and Anderson lived to the age of 74 plus years.
Sean
PA both lived longer and wrote faster.
My mother died this morning so I will be away Sun-Wed.
Hi, Paul!
First, my condolences for the death of your mother. Memory eternal! I fully realize you will be busy with family matters.
And Poul Anderson was indeed a very prolific writer.
Sean
Sean, thank you. My mother was of your Faith so she would welcome prayers from a fellow Catholic.
Anytime, Paul! I will do so.
Sean
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